he
marked-off grid and the sequential flow in the Animal Locomotion
prints make the images seem scientific. The sequential ordering of the images
is the basis of our assumption of scientific reliability.

We expect any sequence to be orderly,
logical, and progressive. The sequence cues us to believe that the action
represented is continuous and ongoing, and that it takes place exactly
in the order in which we see it reproduced.

Our perception is so bound to our belief in
the sequential structure that we can overlook the black borders marking
off each individual frame and fill in parts that are missing, the inexplicable
gaps between the separate phases of the movement.

The sequence directs us to cooperate in creating
the illusion of motion even where there is none. These images were taken
simultaneously by six cameras placed in a semicircle around the subject.
The camera shutters were triggered at the same time. The result is the
same action captured from six angles. No final print was made from this
series.

Somersault, man Working proofs for Animal LocomotionCyanotypes on cardboard mount

Muybridge has compiled this collotype from
four sets of cyanotypes, only one of which survives. Each of the four
sequences shows a single frozen instant from six different angles. Muybridge
has assembled the sequences to create a pleasing artistic effect. If you
read the images vertically, you are aware of a sharp front-and-back rhythm,
while the horizontal movement gives the sensation of time unfolding as
the eye slowly moves around the figure with each frame. Typically, the
female model is depicted with a prop.

Throwing water from a bucket
Working proofs for Animal Locomotion Plate 524
Cyanotypes on cardboard mount